Ambrose2007 Forum Posts (8,881)

RE: .......WHAT IS INTELLECT.....???

It's not as easy to pinpoint definitively as one might suppose - you can gather that by the variety of replies in this thread.

When I think of someone having intellect, I think primarily that this person is conversant with and enjoys considering ideas. I would say the heart of intellect, of being an "intellectual," is the pursuit of ideas. It's not about general knowledge, per se, though that clearly informs one's consideration of ideas (for example, you wouldn't call someone who knew a lot of geography an intellectual for that reason alone); it's not about intelligence, per se (one could be intelligent about math or game strategies or mechanics without being particularly intellectual, for example), but intelligence clearly enables one's consideration of ideas.

I wouldn't say, as do most dictionaries, that intellect is the "ability to learn and reason; the capacity for knowledge and understanding. b. The ability to think abstractly or profoundly" (The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Third Edition). By that definition, almost every human being is an intellectual.

So my take is that intellect consists of the intelligent and systematic analysis of ideas.

I see nothing pompous or arrogant or negative in any way about this. Quite the contrary: intellect is the essence of being a civilized and enlightened person.

RE: repulsive!

Seems like an entirely reasonable and thought-out inquiry.

RE: repulsive!

God, there are nearly infinite reasons why someone on a virtual dating site might not be interested in pursuing a relationship with you. There's no cause whatsoever to think that has anything to do with your looks.

RE: Thank you

Thank you for this thread, Kid.

RE: Male Jealousy..

Well, now you know, Nan. They in fact were merely being cutely possessive.

You've named a great problem in relationships - lack of honest communication. The thing is, it's easier to communicate on subjects you're not uncomfortable with. The challenge is to speak openly about stuff that's embarrassing to you.

That's why I insist on all my dates imbibing MM at some point, so I can find out the whole truth.

(Don't worry, GG, in your case, GG, that only requires talking to you late at night and/or when you're sleep-deprived. )

RE: Male Jealousy..

Definitely. And in that case, not only may that explosion be more harmful than simply being honest from the beginning (where the pressure of those feelings can be released in degrees and more productively through open discussion/acknowledgment), it can also baffle both parties (the man typically not being aware that he even had those feelings or what they were).

RE: Male Jealousy..

Not at all.

I feel that this word may be a good candidate for demonstrating that: Mamihlapinatapai. It's also highly appropriate for CS, no?

Of course men are jealous, but I think many (or most?) of them are less comfortable in expressing that, for the reason that they are less comfortable, in general, expressing any emotion openly (please note this IS a generalization; not all men are the same in this respect!). So it may often be harder to know when men are being jealous than it is with women. They may downplay it by claiming their anger has another source (anger being an emotion most men are more comfortable showing).

RE: hi lovly ladies,do you prefer howmany inches?

Well, if it's important to you, you could always wear lifts in your shoes?

RE: Men: Do you like to be caressed?

Hi, A! I'm glad someone here can appreciate my appreciation of it.

Who won that pool game, anyhow? Did you hustle some money off some poor boys?

RE: Men: Do you like to be caressed?

You really should consult the hound on this question, G.

RE: Join me in wishing jbibiza a speedy recovery

Thanks so much for bringing this to our attention, G. What a miserable piece of bad luck. I'm almost afraid to ask how badly injured she was/is. It's hard for me to think of this happening to such a wonderful lady.

But she is out of the hospital, and appears to be on the road to recovery!

RE: This time, I found the strength to walk away

Well, for what it's worth, I think you handled it well, Athens - a well as it could be "handled." You gave love a chance, despite the obvious risks. If you hadn't, you'd be living with much worse regret right now.

RE: Airport security

I feel your pain, Athens. Of course, I've had similar problems because of my first name.

RE: Soulmates.... Have you ever thought you found yours ???

RE: Happy Birthday FALLINGMAN

Happy birthday and keep on hanging on, Falling!!

RE: Your True Self!

Thanks, Laura.

And I stand by the bolded section (Not a single person who dismissed the plagiarism as being unimportant would feel that way if it were their work which was being claimed by someone else. Not one person on this thread, or anywhere for that matter, would not be outraged - or at a minimum, annoyed - if someone lied and took credit for their efforts. Not one.).

Though all of us, including writers, expect someone to take credit for our efforts at some point in our lives, it is hardly believable that we, by and large, would appreciate that. That would seem to be Chasing Cars' contention.

RE: Your True Self!

First, even if you were right about "essay," that would of course have no bearing whatsoever on the substance of my arguments.

Second, though essay may not have been the best word-choice ("book review" or "article" would've been better), it a perfectly accurate description of the quoted material (from Merriam-Webster: "...an analytic or interpretative literary composition usually dealing with its subject from a limited or personal point of view").

As to the remainder of my alleged "errors," they, as speculations, are no more errors than are your speculative counter-assertions.

RE: How much do you want to know...

I'm going to venture a guess: one's attitudes about discussing previous relationships is indicative of one's attitudes toward communication in general.

That is, if you don't believe in such discussions, you probably don't believe in truly open lines of communication with your significant other. You likely are also banning other subjects as well.

RE: How much do you want to know...

I can't imagine wanting to be in one's closest relationship - the kind of relationship one ought to enjoy with a lover/spouse - where certain issues couldn't be discussed. That might be appropriate with one's mom or children or casual friends - but surely not with one's soul mate.

RE: Your True Self!

Ah. Then this would be an example of how being friendly costs nothing?

Of course there were no "inaccuracies." However, you seem incapable of following your own advice.

RE: Your True Self!

Why would I feel friendly?

RE: Your True Self!

>>>>> You brought this on all yourself, E.

RE: Your True Self!

I know. I reamed her within an inch of her life, and now I deeply regret that. I can only hope you and she and everyone here can find it in your hearts to forgive me.

RE: Your True Self!

Of course I was 100% sure...well, maybe 99.999999%. That .99999999 is because I couldn't say absolutely that the OP wasn't the person who wrote the article. But I was willing to take that chance. All the OP had to do was point that she was in fact the article's author, and I would've very humbly apologized. But I wasn't terribly worried.

RE: Your True Self!

How did you know I desperately need a hug, G??

RE: Your True Self!

What's wrong with that, E? Seems like high praise to me!

RE: Your True Self!

Hardly a crusade against the OP. Rather, a series of (incredulous) arguments against those who believe that such behavior is unimportant or even laudable.

There's nothing wrong with accusing someone publicly who posts lies publicly, methinks. On the contrary, it seems completely appropriate. Don't the people on the public list deserve to know? And if someone lies publicly, they should be prepared to experience a diminution in stature, no? Perhaps next time they'll consider the consequences. Anyway, to make this crystal clear, my arguments were NOT with the OP, but rather with those people who believe dishonesty/pilfering of others' works is okay.

It's really, truly, not difficult in the slightest to simply give credit where it's due by citing one's sources, no?

RE: Your True Self!

Thanks, RD. Though after reading the brilliant counterarguments to my thesis that stealing other people's work is wrong, I'm sort of reconsidering.

I'm beginning to think that it's some form of moral crime to point out when someone's being blatantly dishonest, and that the messenger in such cases should be severely reprimanded if not brutally punished.

RE: Your True Self!

Let me make a final observation, and then I will return to a much-deserved oblivion.

I didn't call the OP names or otherwise verbally demean, belittle, or ethically eviscerate her. I don't in fact believe she ought to be demonized morally or punished legally. I don't even recommend that she be pilloried.

What I did was simply pointed out that she'd plagiarized an essay. Some people seemed mortally offended by this announcement, while dismissing the importance of plagiarism. I responded by disagreeing with the latter position.

Here's what I think is true: Not a single person who dismissed the plagiarism as being unimportant would feel that way if it were their work which was being claimed by someone else. Not one person on this thread, or anywhere for that matter, would not be outraged - or at a minimum, annoyed - if someone lied and took credit for their efforts. Not one.

So what's going on here with those who feel that pointing out plagiarism is somehow misguided or even wrong? My only speculation is that these people are not empathetically projecting themselves into a situation where they were robbed of their own hard work. Or, to be less charitable, they themselves do this and therefore feel obliged to defend it?

But I don't believe the latter, of course.

RE: Your True Self!

I'm sorry, honey. I wrote this so quickly I didn't let you have a chance to edit it.